Auburn's Gene Chizik faces questions about NCAA investigation

SEC Media Days focus in NCAA investigation, not Auburn's national title

July 21, 2011

Orlando Sentinel

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Facing a room of reporters at SEC Media Days six months after winning the BCS National Championship, Auburn coach Gene Chizik got more questions about the NCAA's ongoing investigation than the Tigers' title.

The New York Times published a story last week revealing an exchange between Chizik and Julie Roe Lach, NCAA vice president of enforcement, at the conference's spring meetings in Destin. In short, Chizik asked why the NCAA hadn't declared the investigation into the recruitment of Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton closed, and Roe Lach said that's because it isn't.

"Typically, I don't talk about what I thought were private meetings," Chizik said. "Without going into details of any of the exchange in the meeting, I was just trying to get clarification at the time. Again, she was very willing to clarify me, and I appreciated that."